Deciding to get a divorce is a decision that can impact the rest of your life. You need to be prepared to make decisions that will be right for you now and in the future. At times, it can be easier to just agree with whatever terms your spouse offers so you can get the divorce over with and move on with your life. However, the wrong decision can have a negative impact on your financial and emotional situation for many years. When you have your first meeting with your Fresno divorce attorney, be ready to discuss many of these issues.
The best situation you can hope for is an amicable divorce or an uncontested one. Basically, your Fresno divorce attorney will draw up whatever agreement you and your spouse have decided on and will file the paperwork. This is the quickest and cheapest way to obtain a divorce and is much easier on everyone involved, especially your children.
Expect your Fresno divorce attorney to ask detailed questions about you and your spouse's finances, including any property you own and retirement plans or pensions. He/she will determine whether you are eligible for alimony payments or child support payments. The amount for each will be different for each situation so do not assume that because someone you know got a large amount that you will, too. Alimony can be a touchy situation between spouses, but if you need it, do not give it up just to get the paperwork done faster. You may need the money in the future.
Another topic your Fresno divorce attorney will want to discuss is custody of your children. Often, it is assumed that the children will live with their mother, but this does not have to be the case. You can expect that your Fresno divorce attorney will talk about the various terms of child custody, including shared parenting, custodial parent and the rights of both parents. It does seem to be true that most states believe the children should be with their mother, but fathers have rights, too, and you should be sure you understand your rights as a parent.
The division of marital property can be extremely tough, but you can expect that your Fresno divorce attorney will help you decide what is fair, if you and your spouse cannot make those decisions. Remember that everything that was obtained during the marriage is included as marital property. This means property, IRA's, savings accounts, insurance policies and many other things. You will need a list of all accounts that are jointly owned by you and your spouse so your Fresno divorce attorney will be able to find the best division for you.
If you would like a FREE Guide to California Divorce Law, please visit our website at
www.rickbankslaw.com. We also offer free consultations about your case and want to make this difficult time in your life a little easier. To schedule a no obligation consultation, call
(559)222-4891.
